Mapping a Road to Self-Sufficiency

The number one question I am asked by new readers is “where do I start?”. This is followed by a meek comment indicating “I have a job and a family and can not afford to move to a farm in the outback.”

Well first of all, let me say that no apologies are needed. None. Moving to a farm or even to the remote boonies is not for everyone, myself included. On the other hand, with some time, perseverance and a bit of hard work, we all can take steps to be self sufficient. And isn’t that what prepping is all about: being self sufficient so we can take care of our own needs no matter what?

In an idealized world, we would be 100% self-sufficient. Alas, that is unrealistic for most of us and is something that is simply is not going to happen for most of us, desire notwithstanding. I am just being honest and pragmatic here because honestly, that is the truth,

That does not mean that we can not have the ability to get by nicely on our own and satisfy 80% or more of our needs without outside help. I am just saying that to set a goal of 100% self sufficiency is defeatist and a goal that is so difficult that giving up is likely.

Going back to that idealized world, if everything were perfect, we would have enough food, water, power, fuel, and money to live a well-rounded, healthy and comfortable life. Hard work would be the norm but at the end of the day we would have the satisfaction of being able to take care of ourselves without selling out to greedsters or taking a handout from the government.

Alas, everywhere you look there are roadblocks to achieving this state. Not the least of these roadblocks is our dependency on transportation systems and the power infrastructure to deliver goods and energy products to our homes. We depend on the government and insurance companies to rescue us if there is a natural disaster and we depend on organized medicine to keep us healthy.

The issue with these dependencies, of course, is that they may be unreliable, out of control or so fragile that a strong wind(or hurricane or earthquake) will shut them down, perhaps with dire consequences. If you are smart enough to recognize this, you will strive for self sufficiency of one type or another.

Mapping a Road to Self-Sufficiency

Luckily, self-sufficiency is not an all or nothing proposition. At one end of the spectrum is a total, off grid, agrarian lifestyle and at the other is a moderately self-sufficient lifestyle where steps are taken to move toward 20% to 50% self sufficiency.

Today I will share some easy steps you can take to to start becoming self-sufficient. These are steps that do not require a farm, do not require acreage and do not require a lot of money. They are practical steps that you can select from and embrace as your needs and desire for independence evolve over time.

Some are easy and others take a bit of skill and practice. Some can be done for little or no cost and others will require an investment in time, labor, money or all three. The good news is that there are lots of choices and the journey toward self sufficiency does not have to be done in a day, a month, a year or even a decade.

19 Baby Steps Toward a Self Sufficient Lifestyle

1. Build up a emergency food supply

Stuff happens but you still have to eat. Start by building up a cupboard full of food. Although my method is a bit unconventional, I endorse filling up a cupboard or pantry with essentials that are hearty enough to fill bellies for a week, a month or longer without regard to the exact number of meals and the precise number of calories. Trust me, by following the guidelines in 20 Items to Kick Start Your Food Storage Plan, you will have more emergency food than 95% of your friends and neighbors.

2. Learn to cook without electricity or gas

There are numerous options to cooking on a traditional stove. Build or buy a rocket stove that only requires biomass for fuel. Learn to use it while cooking a variety of food items. Also consider a propane stove; just make sure that you also stockpile extra propane tanks.

3. Know how to build and start a fire

Just because you live in the city and have electricity does not mean you will never have to build a fire. Learn how to build a fire and keep it lit for an extended period. Collect biomass, dryer lint and other materials that can be used as tinder to help get a fire going then practice starting a fire without the benefit of matches or a lighter. A good resource for learning how to build a fire is Catching Fire: 21 Failsafe Fire-starting Methods.

4. Install an alternate fuel source

You might be surprised by how little power you need to get by. Start with an inexpensive portable generator or some solar panels. Also think about those items that must have power when the grid is down, such as a well, medical devices and refrigeration. Take care of providing power to those things and let the rest go for now.

5. Grow a vegetable garden

This is a great first step to take toward taking care of yourself and some of your food needs. There are some books to help you such as the All New Square Foot Gardening plus you can get tons of help from seed suppliers, Master Gardeners and friendly neighbors that will be glad to give you some regionally appropriate advice.

6. Start a compost pile

Something many gardeners do not think about is that to be successful, they are going to need fertilizer for their crops. Instead of creating a dependency on the garden center and chemical fertilizers (which also cost money), create your own fertilizer from food scraps and yard waste. The end result will be a nutrient rich fertilizer that is not only free, but a form of “black gold” for your garden vegetables.

7. Grow fruit trees and berries

Imagine growing hundreds of pounds of fruit each year literally for free and for very little work? This can be done if you take the time, by asking around, to seek out native fruit trees that are natural to your area. Once established, these trees will not require fertilizer or water (but if you want to feed them some of that compost, they will love it).

8. Learn to preserve your bounty

Canning, freezing, drying and smoking are some of the ways your can preserve your bounty so that you will have it to feed your family during the off-season. It does take time, yes, but the results in terms of food-saving costs are worth it. As with gardening, once you get the hang of it, preserving your food can be fun as well.

10. Take charge of your health

Do not wait until you are sick and desperate before learning how to take care of your own health needs. Study how healing herbs and essential oils can resolve minor first aid and health annoyances (such as scrapes, insect bites, chest congestion due to a cold or the flu) and practice using these methods in daily life. See Nine Healing Herbs You Can Grow Yourself in a Healing Garden.

11. Acquire warm clothing and blankets to keep you warm without heat

To me this seems basic so it always surprises me to learn when folks freak out when there is no heat. Granted, I live in a moderate climate but if there is no heat, the indoor temperature can drop into the 30s. Down shirts, fleece vests, woolen socks, gloves. comforters and even sleeping bags will keep you warm if not toasty. The best thing is that most of these items can be found for a reasonable price at thrift stores and second hand shops. Keep your eyes peeled – especially in winter – and strike a bargain.

12. Learn how to use weapons to hunt and for personal projection

When the SHTF, each man (or woman) will be on his or her own to find food and to defend what is theirs. The weapon of choice is really up to you. Whatever you choose, learn how to use it and be sure to stockpile ammunition (bullets, arrows, ball bearings or whatever).

13. Start an emergency fund

It is a fact of life that emergencies happen. I know people who have the means (and high paying jobs) yet still live paycheck to paycheck. These are the people that scramble when their automobile needs major repairs or a family member gets sick and incurs a large medical bill. Start an emergency fund and pay yourself each week. Whether you put $5 or $50 a week into the fund, put something in the fund, even if it means you eat beans and rice two nights a week so that you have the money to do so.

15. Make your own cleaning supplies

This is one of my favorites. Most of my own cleaning supplies are of the DIY type. Get yourself some vinegar, baking soda, castile soap, alcohol, borax, washing soda and liquid Dawn and you can pretty much clean anything and everything, including your clothes and other laundry items. Creating your own cleaners will bring out the inner chemist in you, and save you a ton of money.

16. Cook from scratch and bake your own bread

Cooking tasty meals from the ingredients at hand will set you free of processed foods and unpronounceable food additives. By cooking from your pantry and your garden, you will save a ton of money and will begin to savor the real taste of various foods and not a taste manufactured in some food producer (or Monsanto’s) lab.

And then there is baking bread. Baking is one of those fun things that will not only save you money, but will provide you delicious and wholesome results. A loaf of homemade bread will cost you 50 cents versus upwards of $4.00 or more at the supermarket. Plus, the basic ingredients of flour, yeast, salt and water are all things you can pronounce and spell. No chemicals, no preservatives. See Baking bread and why you should do it and just for kicks The Secret Art of Making Pizza At Home.

17. Be a MacGyver and fix your stuff

Simple plumbing and electrical repairs can easily be learned (or bartered – see above). Painting, deck building and other handyman activities will save you a ton of money and give you the satisfaction of knowing that you can, indeed, do it yourself.

18. Become self-entertaining

Learn to play cards, work crosswords, or become an expert at Scrabble. Learn to dance or play the harmonica. Volunteer as an actor or singer at your local community the theater. The point here is to become self-entertaining which means being able to relax and enjoy yourself without the computer, the television, the DVD player or other amusements that rely on electronic gizmos.

19. Get to know your neighbors

We are not talking bosom buddies but a friendly hello from time to time. Share your excess bounty or trade something you have for something they need. There is a reason why borrowing a cup of sugar was so popular in the 50s. The simple exchange of goods fostered trust and feeling of kinship that paid real dividends during times of need. Need help opening that door? How about a plate of brownies or a fresh load of bread when someone moves in or a pot of soup when someone is ill?

The Final Word

My own experience tells me that there is a special inner peace that comes from being mostly self-sufficient. Not 100%, but mostly. I have experienced that peace and calm myself when the power went out for an extended period and more recently, when we had no phone or internet service for days. Then there is the joy in doing things that involve my hands and my mind rather than a shopping trip into town. Others that I talk to also tell me that they too find great joy in the simple things in life that do not rely on excessive consumerism.

Take a look at the 19 items on this list. What is your goal? If it is 20% self-sufficiency, pick 3 or 4 and tackle them until you are satisfied you have done the best you can. After that, pick another item or two and keep going as time, interest and budget allows. You will find that taking these steps toward self sufficiency while doing things that you enjoy will help you get closer to an independent lifestyle more quickly than you can imagine. Cows and goats and chickens are not required.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!Gaye

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Spotlight Item: Go to the Resources page on Backdoor Survival to download a complete copy of the USDA Canning Guide and more 100% free documents for your survival and prepping library. Do you know of something that should be included on this page? Leave me a note in the comments area below.

Bargain Bin: Survival is all about learning to fend for yourself and food self-sufficiency is at the top of everyone’s list. Here some items to guide you along the way,

Coleman PefectFlow 1-Burner Stove: This Coleman One-burner Propane Stove is an easy-to-use portable stove that should meet almost any camp cooking need. The PerfectFlow regulator provides consistent cooking performance by producing a steady fuel stream, even in cold weather, high altitudes, or when fuel is low. Equipped with one 10,000 BTU burner, this fully adjustable stove will last for 2.2 hours on high or up to nine hours on low.

Potable Aqua Water Treatment Tablets: Potable Aqua Water Purification Tablets make questionable water bacteriologically suitable to drink. Easy to use and the water is ready to drink in 30 minutes. One 50 tablet bottle treats 25 quarts of water.

The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more.

I eat a lot of fruit (usually three whole fruits a night as a bedtime snack) and in a SHTF situation, fruits will be something I will really miss. The Freeze-Dried Fruit Favorites Combo from Emergency Essentials is something I use all year round. With the grocery store a 20 mile round trip journey, I like the thought of being able to rehydrate my own fruit, in the quantity I want, at a moments notice.

But not to be left out, there are veggies too. The deluxe supply of Freeze Dried Vegetables includes 18 #10 tins of the following veggies in various quantities: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Sweet Corn, Green Beans, Green Peppers, Green Peas, Mushrooms, Potato Dices, Spinach, and White Onions. Lately I have been using FD veggies instead of fresh for my homemade soups. There is not fuss, no waste and in the long run – given local prices – the cost is less.

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Comments

this is a great article and a must read for anyone interested in prepping and or self sufficency.
I suggest you pin this article to the top of your page or highlight it some way. thanks forall theinfo and hard work you pu into this post and your page in general

Not sure where you would add this: Begin to look around and notice the plants and animals in your surroundings. Note each season, what animals are there, what plants are there and know what’s edible. You may not want to think about eating something you now think of as weeds but in survival mode, you want to know what you can eat and how to fix it. I just noticed today, my winter crop of greens (for you, weeds) are beginning to show and I don’t have to work at growing them cuz Nature is doing it for me. 😉
If you have animals, dogs can be trained to use only a portion of the yard for their relief. Cats? Instead of wood chips which can draw them to your flower or garden beds….use hazelnut shells or find plants to border which deter them. Living in Oregon where hazelnuts are grown, that’s the first option. Pecan shells will work too since neither degrade too fast, but cats don’t like the sharp edges of the shells.

This is a great article and I agree with Joel….you should highlight this…..maybe share it in f.b. It could attract more members for this site also. I’ve learned so much and learned a couple of more things from this article……or reminder anyway; to put back a few dollars each month. When things look like they are going to hit the fan, that money can be used to stock up More.
Good One Gaye!! I love this site.

Very much like your approach to this. I once read “the more you know the less you need. This would apply to your post directly as the more “baby steps” that a person can take from your list, the less things they will need to depend on outside sources for.

learn how to camp!!!! buy a tent and some sleeping bags. they DO NOT have to be top of the line. jeeze go to walmart and buy a tent that will fit your family with some room left over for clothes and stuff. if you have a family of 4 get a tent that sleeps 6 or 8. a family of 6 get a tent that sleeps 8 or more. that tent is not just for sleeping. if it’s raining that is where all of you are going to be so have extra room for gear and games. and the pet! get a tarp and hang it up over your table or fire/eating area, this will also give you and yours an area to spread out. practice in the back yard and then go to a campground. get use to camping and living.

A bushel of wheat is 60 pounds. Any farmer will sell you a couple of bushels for $6 or $7 dollars a bushel. Pick up a flour mill, used, they are commonly sold for half price or less. Now you have the means to make very nice bread for next to nothing.

this is ridiculous. in disaster everyone loses their jobs, vars, fuel, and therefore cannot pay property taxes. where will you keep this stuff? no. you WILL wind up in the government camp, behind the wire, no matter what you do. don’t listen to idiots like this author.

If everyone loses their jobs who will be putting you in jail for not paying taxes? I doubt if the police or other government drones are going to work for free. The government employee exists only as long as there is a tax base to feed him.

okay??? maybe you will wind up there. my guess is you’ll be back in the mental hospital.Im sure they will have caught up with you in a few days.In the meantime enjoy your time outside keep your eyes peeled for the guys in white coats,speaking of coats just how did you get out of your straight jacket?

John, Since when is every disaster a Total Social Breakdown? Almost no disasters are.

I experienced the beginning of the Lebanese civil war in the fall of 1975, and went back briefly in 1977. While I was first there, people were shooting rockets at the Holiday Inn, and people in the Holiday Inn were shooting rockets back. That was about as close to a Total Social Breakdown as it gets. People still had jobs, still went to them, still went shopping in stores. Life actually does go on.

Everyone I talked with there had water, food, propane cooking gear, and guns in their homes all the time, because they never knew when the supply lines would be interrupted (interrupted, not shut down forever) or it would temporarily be too dangerous to go shopping.

During the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, the City of Philadelphia used bulldozers to bury the dead in mass graves, the schools were closed, movie theaters shuttered, but life went on. The more food people had at home, the less they needed to go outside where they might get infected. While World War I killed 16,000,000, the Spanish Flu killed 20,000,000. But life went on.

Those of us who live in international air transport hub cities like New York, Chicago, and Honolulu are more vulnerable than most to a new pandemic. One might kill a few score, or scores of thousands. Staying home for the duration would be the best possible way to get through it.

Going into a government camp would be the absolute worst of all possible acts. That was exactly what spread the Spanish Flu. Troops, a few of whom were infected, were shut up on transport trains for a couple days, then herded into military camps where they spread and caught the flu. Then they were put on troop transport ships to Europe. People shut up with each other for many days, some of them sick, and then most of them were sick.

If we ever have a serious pandemic, the worst thing to do would be herding together. Stay home, on short rations, until it is over.

We live in Honolulu, so we are vulnerable to hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and pandemics. We may be lucky enough never to experience another of any of those, but it is foolish to think we can’t, and more foolish still to think the government is going to help us in the first week after. The government has already told us so in as many words. No one is trucking in relief supplies from the next state the day after. We will be on our own for a minimum of a week after a major disaster, and it may be more like a month.

Imagine an island city of 900,000+ without electricity for a month. I have talked with the Board of Water Supply. No municipal electricity: no water. And none of the pumps are in hurricane resistant buildings, so even if the big generators can be restarted after a major hurricane, tsunami, or earthquake, there may be no pumps working to extract, purify, and distribute water.

If we are prepared, we will get by with stored food and water, and probably water from municipal and private swimming pools. But we need to prepare.

So we should just give up and do what the govt. wants us to do……uhmmmmm NO!!
True, money, jobs, services will stop, anarchy will ensue, and police state will take over or try to. No money, no commerce, no govt. = no bills of any kind. TSHTF….life as we know it will not exist. I will not live in an in internment camp; I would rather take my chances or die.

There are tremendous advantages to be as self-sufficient as possible. I still live in an earth-shelter home I built myself 26 years ago. The temperature stays near 72 degrees without heat or A/C. Built as I earned money, I have no mortgage, or any other debt. All of the contractors live here. (Me.) I repair or rebuild almost everything I own to save money, so I don’t need much money, and retired 9 years ago at age 57. No storm or hurricane worries, either. Mainstream wisdom says just get a great education and a great job, then just buy everything you want and need. In today’s world, too many things can go wrong to follow that philosophy. You become too dependent on others, unable to fend for yourself if you lose your job, or if your money can’t buy anything in an economic collapse.

We have a deep well, but it needs power that may not be available long-term, so we have cisterns that are just covered above-ground pools. During the rainy season, I filled one with 5,000 gallons in just 2 weeks with a gutter system. I found it interesting that clean rainwater usually tests between 0 and 10 PPM for contaminants. My well water tests around 160 PPM. (Some Walmart stores have PPM meters in their RV section for about $12.) We have a garden and fruit trees, but not big enough for all our needs. We are learning to forage on our 10 acres to supplement, since those plants are abundant and don’t need tending.

#12 pertains also to finding “food”, hence the word “food”, and to defending everything, e.g. “food”, that is one’s own. #19 recommends getting to know the neighbors as a step before taking other actions through which they will come to trust the prepper.

Perhaps you need to take your own advice “before passing judgement”. That would be consistent with cultivating trust.

It’s by the way that the rocket stove is a good idea. In fact, the directions are so clear and easy to follow that it seems that I hardly need to practice making my own.

Also, if you are composting, it’s better not to include and animal products or byproducts, so not to attract unwanted critters like raccoons or flies. The former might be desirable if your goal is to use the compost as hunting bait, but the best that one can expect from flies is maggots.

I understand that you’re doing your very best to undermine the stereotype of the backtalking prepper kook who resists correction. Alas, it hasn’t been enough. The stereotype remains instact, and this in spite of your snide innuendo, “bipolar much?”.

I notice this article/comments are a couple years old but I’m hoping someone who questions preparing for when SHTF, will see this, and hopefully NOT end up in FEMA camp.

I’ve quite often lived in areas with severe cold winter climates that required a family be prepared for the inevitable loss of power (electricity) and heat (natural gas). One winter, I had brought my newborn daughter home from the hospital just two weeks before an exceptionably brutal cold snap hit. The plastic on the inside of the windows we used for extra insulation got so cold it froze and cracked. To top everything off we suddenly found ourselves without running water because the well pump froze. At the time we lived almost 20 miles outside of a small town. So it was well over a month before we could get a new pump ordered and shipped. Then we had to wait for the weather to moderate enough to work outside to change the well pump out. In the meantime, I melted snow and boiled it for my daughter’s formula since getting to a store was simply out of the question, we were snowed in.

Had we not planned ahead and had plenty of food in the house, including the makings for my daughter’s formula from scratch, we might have had a starving child on our hands. As it was we had enough food and supplies for well over six months and by the time running water was restored we had a well-fed plump little girl on our hands.

I learned all this from watching my grandmother and great-grandmother who both lived through the depression and WWII where rationing was common place. So planning ahead has never been new to me but homesteading is somewhat new for me. Yes, when space allowed I’ve always had a garden to raise some of my own food but how to preserve that food long term is something I’m just becoming comfortable with. I’m trying to learn as I go with ONE GOAL in mind. NEVER, if I can help it, ever end up in a FEMA camp. If I’ve learned nothing else about my government, I’ve learned to NEVER trust even one word my government says (be it Dem or Repub). Regardless of how great sounding the message might be, it will no doubt be a lie.

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MEET GAYE

I'm Gaye, just an ordinary gal trying to make sense of our changing world. I am addicted to prepping, DIY projects, adult coloring books, and ballroom dancing. I live what I call a strategic life and believe you should too. Everyone needs to prepare for the worst and live for the best. Won't you join me?

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